A spot in Florida - Let us Cheer the Lowly Possum

There is a spend Florida that built a twelve-foot-substantial monument in the center of town to exalt the lowly possum. Now, why would any individual wish to accomplish that?
Nicely, to start with, heroes are tough to come back by In this particular put set up Florida - the Panhandle metropolis of Wausau, home of below five hundred folks in the middle of Washington County about 10 miles south of Chipley.
Why don't you the possum, an unlikely hero to put it mildly? Nobody else puts the possum having a pedestal. Why not Wausau?
Secondly, back again 1982, Wausau acquired fed up with becoming ignored from the Florida lists of fun, fairs and festivals. Each individual commit Florida desires a Pageant. Instead of a single dedicate Florida features a Possum Competition. Why not Wausau?
If you haven't visited Washington County, you probably will Feel I'm Therefore, producing this up. For those who have been to Washington County, you will fully grasp - and know this is the real Tale.
Wausau, it ended up, experienced some very potent possum politicians from the early '80s. Allow me to share certain things they attained:


They persuaded the Florida Legislature to proclaim the First Saturday in August as Possum Day in Florida. That led to the setting up of your monument together State Highway seventy seven in Wausau.

They even received America Congress in promoting the possum. Congress joined the pleasurable by the resources for Wausau's Possum Palace so Wausau might have a place to keep its yearly Exciting Day and Possum Pageant. Featuring here a queen contest and possum auction, amongst other items, the festival appeals to Lots of individuals on a yearly basis, and so they locate it irresistible.
Time out for many educating of Northerners listed here. The South's possum is analogous lowly animal you call opossum, (Why use seven letters when 6 will perform?) It is a smallish marsupial that life in trees and reveals its hideous body only in the evening. This is exactly why, if you're in the correct devote Florida, you are able to hear possum hunters' canines baying and barking. Treed by canine, the possum 'freezes', so Will probably be not tricky to catch (or shoot) 1.
An inscription around the monument in the heart of Wausau cites the possum's job in delivering 'each fur and food stuff' all through the generations. It goes on say: 'Their presence right here has delivered a resource of nutritious and flavorful food items in usual moments and it has been a substantial help to human survival all through times of distress and significant have to have.'
Snicker If you would like. The men and women of Wausau will laugh with you - while downing baked possum and sweet potatoes.